Al-Zaydi’s financial advisor reveals the features of the 2027 budget: a tool for regulating Iraq’s economy.

The financial and economic advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, revealed on Thursday the outlines of the 2027 budget, stressing that it will be a tool for reorganizing the country’s financial and economic structure, and not just a management of revenues and expenditures. Iraqeconomy updates

Saleh told Shafaq News Agency that “the 2027 budget is expected to have more advanced features at the level of public finance management, through expanding the application of programs based on the program and performance budgeting approach, which represents a qualitative shift in the governance of public resources and raising the efficiency of government spending.”

He added that “next year’s budget will shift from focusing on the size of spending and its allocations to measuring the results and specific goals achieved by the spending, so that financial resources are linked to programs, projects, performance indicators and targeted development results. This shift is of particular importance in light of the challenges facing Iraqi public finances, foremost among them the need to maximize non-oil revenues, rationalize expenditures, raise the efficiency of public finance management, reduce waste and ensure that spending is directed towards activities and programs of economic and social priority.”

He continued: “From this perspective, the 2027 budget should not be viewed as merely an annual budget for managing revenues and expenditures, but rather as one of the tools for reorganizing the financial and economic structure of Iraq, by linking fiscal policy to the goals of development and economic reform in the medium and long term.”

He revealed that “this comes within the framework of the trend towards building a more sustainable financial system, in which the general budget is a tool for planning and development and not just a means to cover current expenditures, which enhances the state’s ability to manage its resources efficiently, and provides a better basis for implementing development plans and programs within the national vision extending towards 2035, leading to Iraq’s goals of sustainable development, progress and prosperity by 2050.”

He pointed out that “the real challenge facing the 2027 budget will not only be in its approval, but in its ability to translate financial reform into actionable figures and programs, and to achieve a balance between the requirements of public spending, the sustainability of resources, and the protection of the country’s economic and financial stability.”

Shafaq.com

The Iraqi central bank’s reserves have declined to 102 trillion dinars, and its liabilities to the government have doubled.

The head of the “Iraq Future” Foundation for Economic Studies and Consultations, economic expert Manar Al-Obaidi, revealed today, Thursday, significant shifts and declines in the financial indicators of the Central Bank of Iraq, pointing to an increase in the bank’s net claim on the government compared to a decrease in the size of official reserves. Dailynews reports

Al-Obaidi explained in an economic analysis based on the latest operational and banking data that the net claims of the Central Bank on the Iraqi government recorded a significant increase to reach 66.6 trillion Iraqi dinars, compared to 35 trillion dinars that it had recorded at the beginning of 2025.

He added that the net official reserves at the Central Bank have decreased to 102 trillion Iraqi dinars, after having been 130 trillion dinars at the beginning of 2026.

The head of the institution pointed out that in July alone, the Central Bank lost about 10.3 trillion dinars of its foreign and banking reserves.

Shafaq.com

Al-Zaydi inspects “Iraq’s Sky Shield”: “No aggression from our airspace, nor any breach of it.”

Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Faleh al-Zaidi visited the Air Defense Command Operations Center late Wednesday night to monitor the readiness of Iraqi airspace protection systems, coinciding with preparations for the end of the international coalition forces’ mission and the planned withdrawal on September 30. Dailynews reports

The Prime Minister’s Media Office stated in a statement that Al-Zaydi was briefed on the reality of the air defense system and its tasks in protecting the country’s skies, and listened to a briefing presented by the Air Defense Commander regarding the deployment of units, control of operational sectors, and plans to develop capabilities during the next phase.

According to the statement, the briefing addressed the air defense capability building plan for the years 2026-2031, which includes the development of radar detection and monitoring systems, weapons, command and control, leading to the construction of an integrated air defense system.

The visit comes at a time when Iraqi forces are preparing for the post-international coalition phase, with a government focus on strengthening the army’s capabilities and air defense systems to fully assume responsibility for protecting the airspace and national sovereignty.

Al-Zaydi said during his meeting with air defense leaders and officers that “air defense represents the shield of Iraq’s skies and the first line of defense for its sovereignty,” stressing that building capable armed forces is a fundamental pillar in strengthening the country’s ability to make its political and military decisions independently.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces directed that the needs of the Air Defense Command be met, its combat and technological readiness levels be raised, and the requirements for developing systems capable of protecting Iraqi airspace be provided.

Al-Zaydi stressed that Iraq “will not allow its airspace to be violated or its security to be compromised by any party whatsoever,” while also emphasizing that Iraqi territory or airspace will not be allowed to be used as a launching pad for any attack on neighboring countries.

Shafaq.com

Baghdad caught between Washington and Hezbollah: British report reveals Iraqi mediation efforts

The developments related to Iraq’s position on Lebanese Hezbollah reflect the hedging policy pursued by Ali al-Zaidi’s government, which is “unable” to completely separate itself from the factions linked to Iran, while at the same time flirting with the United States and the Gulf states, according to the British website “ Amwaj ”.

The website, in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, indicated that a delegation from the party had met with al-Zaidi before his recent visit to Washington, where the Iraqi Prime Minister offered to mediate between the party and Washington to facilitate talks between them. Dailynews reports

The British website said in its report that the United States is exerting pressure against the Lebanese Hezbollah from Baghdad to Damascus and Beirut, adding that since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, successive Iraqi governments have maintained strong ties with the Lebanese party.

However, the website noted in its report that recent developments have raised questions about whether this policy might change, recalling that the Iraqi Ministry of Finance quietly ordered Iraqi banks in mid-July to implement US Treasury sanctions against individuals and companies linked to the party.

The report also stated that the official gazette had listed Hezbollah and the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement as “terrorist” entities last November, before Baghdad quickly backtracked, blaming what happened on a technical error.

The report noted the incident on July 16 in which Syrian customs intercepted a shipment of weapons hidden in an oil tanker, believed to have been destined for Lebanon from Iraq.

According to the report, these two incidents show that the Iraqi government is caught between competing patrons, as Baghdad appears unable to decisively break away from the Iranian-aligned Iraqi armed factions at home, while courting Washington and the Gulf capitals abroad, adding that al-Zaidi adopted this hedge rather than clearly siding with either direction.

He went on to say that it was uncertain whether Baghdad would be able to maintain this position until the September 30 deadline for bringing armed factions under state control.

The report quoted regional analyst Emile Nakhleh, a former CIA officer, as saying that Baghdad is “getting closer to Washington,” noting that al-Zaidi is seeking to establish a closer relationship with US President Donald Trump, while distancing Iraq from Iran and Hezbollah.

According to the report, this assessment is consistent with the broader US campaign against Hezbollah’s financial and logistical affairs, which extend to Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad. It notes that Washington has shown more willingness to use its influence over Baghdad to limit Iran’s regional presence, which was clearly demonstrated by US President Donald Trump’s objection to the nomination of State of Law leader Nouri al-Maliki for a third term as prime minister, and the threat of Iraq losing economic support, which led to the selection of al-Zaidi at the end of April.

After noting the ability of American desires to shape Iraqi policy, the report said at the same time that the coordinating framework, whose parties maintain deep ties with armed groups allied with Iran, leaves al-Zaydi with little room to make a decisive move against the Iraqi allies of Lebanese Hezbollah, pointing in this context to the leader of the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades, Ahmed al-Hamidawi, who maintains close coordination with Lebanese Hezbollah, and who opposes Baghdad’s efforts to further integrate armed factions into the official state security structure.

The report quoted Ali Al-Mamouri, a researcher at Deakin University, as saying that “Hezbollah’s ties to Iraq are rooted in decades-long relationships with Iraqi Shiite opposition groups that developed during their exile in Syria and Lebanon throughout the 1980s and beyond,” adding that many of these figures now occupy influential positions within Iraq’s political and security institutions, noting that this long-standing relationship makes it unlikely that Baghdad will significantly change its stance to actively work against the party.

The report noted that the party’s designation as a terrorist organization in Baghdad was not addressed during Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Baghdad on July 26, as he discussed with al-Zaidi the revival of the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline and the possibility of extending it to the Lebanese coastal city of Tripoli.

The report went on to say that this engagement reflects how Washington is now positioning its economic incentives for both Baghdad and Beirut in bilateral relations in Iraq and Lebanon.

Faced with Washington’s increasingly firm stance, the British report said that al-Zaidi might seek to hedge as an active strategy rather than take a passive hedging position, quoting an official in the Lebanese Hezbollah as saying that al-Zaidi’s administration had offered to sponsor direct talks between the party and Washington.

According to the same source, a delegation from the Lebanese party quietly visited al-Zaidi in Iraq in early July, and during the talks, the Iraqi Prime Minister made “a proposal under which Iraq would sponsor and host talks between Hezbollah and the US administration.”

The report noted that the offer appeared to have preceded al-Zaidi’s trip to Washington, although the official did not clarify the party’s response.

The report continued, noting that Trump appeared to have left the door open to such Iraqi mediation, saying on July 21 that he would be willing to talk to Hezbollah leaders if Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thought it would be helpful.

Shafaq.com

The “Reconstruction and Development” bloc: The government pledged to send the Popular Mobilization Forces law to parliament within a week.

The “Reconstruction and Development” parliamentary bloc confirmed on Thursday that the government pledged to send the draft law on service and retirement for the Popular Mobilization Forces to the House of Representatives within about a week, expressing its regret that the legislation has turned into a tool for “consumption and political pressure”.

The head of the bloc, Bahaa al-Araji, said in a press conference held at the parliament building and attended by a correspondent from Shafaq News Agency, that the recent events that led to casualties among the Popular Mobilization Forces required urgent action towards legislating a law to preserve their rights.

He explained that the bloc had already begun writing a draft of the law and surveying the opinions of some political forces regarding it, adding that a signal had been received from the Prime Minister indicating that there was a draft law prepared by the government and that it would soon be sent to Parliament.

Al-Araji added that the bloc has set a deadline of about a week to send the government draft law on service and retirement for the Popular Mobilization Forces to the House of Representatives to proceed with its programming and legislation.

The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq were established in mid-2014 under the fatwa of “sufficient jihad” issued by the highest Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, following the fall of the city of Mosul to the “ISIS” organization. Iraqeconomy updates

In November 2016, the Iraqi parliament voted on a law legalizing the Popular Mobilization Forces as a security institution within the armed forces, but the law lacked clear organizational details, which opened the door to repeated demands for its redrafting and legal restructuring.

Shafaq.com

Iraq holds 174.6 tons of gold; its latest data dates back to 2025.

The World Gold Council’s table for August 2026 showed that Iraq’s gold reserves amounted to 174.6 tons, ranking it 28th globally, with gold constituting about 23.1% of its total reserves. Dailynews reports

According to the Council’s statistics, which were reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, the latest data for Iraq dates back to November 2025, meaning that the recorded quantity of gold, amounting to 174.6 tons, has not been updated in the table since that date, while the data for a number of countries dates back to months closer to the current period.

Iraq comes in third place in the Arab world in terms of gold holdings, after Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while the United States tops the list globally with reserves of 8,133.5 tons.

The World Gold Council’s methodology explains that official gold reserve data is based primarily on IMF statistics, with the date of the latest available data varying from country to country, as some countries may be late in reporting their data.

The World Gold Council had indicated in previous statements that Iraq’s holdings were stable at 174.6 tons, with no new purchases recorded during 2026 in the data available at that time.

Shafaq.com

The Toman under pressure: When the currency crisis becomes a mirror of the Iranian economy

The Iranian Toman crisis is no longer merely a fluctuation in the exchange market; it has become a reflection of the immense pressures facing the Iranian economy. The decline in the value of the local currency is now linked to a complex interplay of factors, most notably sanctions, military tensions, disruptions to shipping, and a drop in oil exports, coupled with high inflation. The problem is that the toman’s weakness is not confined to the currency market; it is rapidly impacting prices, production, and the purchasing power of ordinary citizens. Economicanalysis reports

Oil is one of Iran’s most important sources of foreign currency. According to July data, oil exports fell from about 1.7 million barrels per day in June to approximately 967,000 barrels per day in July. This decline not only represents a loss of oil revenue but also limits the flow of foreign currency the economy needs to finance imports and support economic activity. With sanctions, difficulties in financial transfers, discounts offered to buyers, and increased transportation risks, Iran’s ability to convert its oil wealth into actual revenue is becoming increasingly complicated.

And here lies the most dangerous link: **The decline in exports reduces foreign revenues, the shortage of foreign currency increases pressure on the Toman, and the weakening of the Toman raises the cost of imports and production, then the increase is passed on to prices and the citizen bears the final result.**

The danger of this equation becomes apparent when it comes to food and basic necessities. Families can postpone purchasing many goods, but they cannot postpone their daily needs. When prices rise faster than wages, the real value of income declines, even if nominal salaries remain constant or increase slightly. Thus, the Toman crisis transforms from a monetary issue into a cost-of-living crisis that directly affects the middle class and those with limited incomes.

But the currency crisis has another, equally dangerous dimension: **confidence**. When citizens or investors expect the value of the toman to continue depreciating, the desire to protect savings through dollars, gold, or real estate increases. As demand for alternative assets rises, pressure on the local currency intensifies, and the negative expectations themselves become a factor fueling the crisis.

In the long term, the impact extends to investment. Currency volatility makes it difficult for companies to estimate the costs of projects, equipment, and raw materials, leading some to postpone or reduce investment. Lower investment today means less productivity, fewer jobs, and less growth in the future.

Can the Toman regain its stability?

The answer is not solely related to intervention in the foreign exchange market. Currency stability requires increasing the economy’s capacity to generate foreign currency, ensuring regular oil exports, controlling inflation, improving the investment and production environment, and easing trade and financial restrictions.

Therefore, the real question is not to what level the toman can fall against the dollar, but rather **to what extent can the Iranian economy restore confidence and stop the erosion of purchasing power?**

If sanctions, tensions, declining revenues, and rising inflation persist, the toman will remain a reflection of broader economic depletion. However, if external easing is coupled with internal economic reforms and increased investment and production, the currency may regain some stability.

The future of the Iranian toman will not be determined by the exchange market alone; rather, it will depend on Iran’s ability to transform its oil wealth into production, investment, confidence, and sustainable growth.

Rawabetcenter.com

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An economist says selling state assets is a waste of public funds, and investment is the best option.

Economic expert Hashim al-Haboubi warned against selling state assets, particularly those of the Ministry of Industry, under any pretext, describing such a move as a blatant waste of public funds and a squandering of the country’s economic resources.
In a statement to the Information Agency, al-Haboubi said, “The Ministry of Industry owns a large number of factories and plants with diverse and important production capabilities, which could generate enormous economic returns if they were to resume operations.” He pointed out that “their personnel are already present and receiving regular salaries from the state without any real productivity.”

He added that “the process of rehabilitating these massive factories and plants requires substantial financial resources that could burden the country’s general budget.” He explained that “the most suitable and optimal option for the government is to offer them for investment by specialized international and local companies.”
Al-Haboubi stressed his “categorical rejection of the trend of selling state assets in various sectors,” emphasizing that joint investment is the only way to revitalize national production without placing additional burdens on the state budget.

Almaalomah.me

Parliamentary Finance Committee: Iraq’s reserves secure salaries for 10 months and the financial situation is stable.

The Parliamentary Finance Committee announced on Tuesday that Iraq’s reserves of 109 trillion dinars are sufficient to cover salaries for 10 months, and indicated that employee salaries are fully secured. Committee member Mansour al-Baiji told the official news agency, as reported by Al-Maalomah News Agency, that “the committee met yesterday with Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi, Finance Minister Falih al-Sari, and Central Bank Governor Nizar Nasser Hussein,” adding that “the financial situation is good and reassuring.”

He further stated that “the Central Bank Governor confirmed during the meeting the existence of 109 trillion dinar reserves in the treasury, which is sufficient for approximately 10 months’ salaries, in addition to gold reserves and revenues,” noting that “salaries are fully secured.” He continued, “There are understandings between the Finance Committee, the Finance Minister, and the Central Bank Governor to develop solutions to overcome the financial crisis.” Iraqpolitical news

Almaalomah.me